"Saxophonist, improviser, and composer Dave Rempis has been an integral part of the thriving Chicago jazz and improvised music scene since 1997. With a background in ethnomusicology and African studies at Northwestern University, including a year spent at the University of Ghana, Rempis burst onto the creative music scene at the age of 22 when he was asked to join the now-legendary Chicago jazz outfit The Vandermark Five. This opportunity catapulted him to notoriety as he began to tour regularly throughout the US and Europe, an active schedule that he still maintains to the present day. [...]"-from the Dave Rempis website

How would you describe music?

An expensive and addictive habit that leads to no good.

As my friend Mars Williams said about a month into the pandemic in 2020:
"I just did my accounting for April and found out that I saved $600 by not being a musician this month..."

What is your relationship to music?

It's complicated!

There's nothing like playing music with others and coming into deep artistic and spiritual communion. But it can also be incredibly frustrating — especially trying to make it happen in an era where what we do often feels marginal to society, and the values of a late capitalistic/fascist state.

It's easy to say "just do it for fun," but as a bandleader, I know the folks I work with can't afford that. There's a lot of wrangling and hustling involved in making it sustainable and fair for great musicians to work together.

Why do you perform on the instrument(s) you play?

I had a strange attraction to the saxophone that I could never explain.

It started with Zoot, the sax player in the Muppets band, when I was a kid. My older brother was taking clarinet lessons at the time, and I wanted something similar but different.

From the first time I opened the case, it felt like a magical creature I wanted to know and understand.

What deceased performer, improviser, or composer would you most like to have a conversation with?

There's just too many to count...

What musician most influenced your approach to music?

All of them.

The thing about fantastic musicians is that their voices are so strong and unique. When you listen to Sonny Rollins, you wonder why anyone would play the horn any other way — until you hear Gene Ammons, and feel the same.

Diving into all those voices is what helps you find your own.

Who or what influences you most outside of music?

Family, friends, nature, and my partner's garden!

What advice would you give to a young musician entering your field?

Keep your blinders on, and focus on the music.

It's easy to get distracted by press, awards, or festival offers — but the only thing that really holds up over a career is your own artistic vision. There may be long stretches when no one pays attention.

Reading Lee Konitz interviews from the '90s or thinking about folks like Fred Anderson and Von Freeman — who only started getting overdue attention in their 60s and 70s — is eye-opening.

What do you hope audiences take away from experiencing your music?

Hopefully, some sounds and approaches they haven't heard before.

Additional Notes

Where are you currently located or musically associated with?

I've been in Chicago for 32 years and feel very connected to this city and scene.

What is your musical education or background?

I grew up outside Boston taking private lessons, playing in concert and jazz bands, and statewide ensembles in Massachusetts.

I started at Northwestern University for classical saxophone with Fred Hemke, but couldn't stand the conservative vibe — so I switched to anthropology with a focus on ethnomusicology.

I studied a bit with Paul Berliner and spent a year abroad at the University of Ghana, where J.H. Kwabena Nketia was running the International Centre for African Music and Dance.

What is your favorite recording by another musician or group?

Way too many to even start!

What is your favorite recording that you have made?

I don't really listen to my own records once they're released... I hear enough of myself during mixing and mastering!

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